The present invention is related to an electronic appliance for selecting a plurality of functions and also for inputting a plurality of characters by such a manner that a plurality of items are displayed on a display unit such as a liquid crystal display device, and the displayed item is selected by a switch operation, and also related to an operation control method of this electronic appliance.
Conventionally, electronic appliances equipped with multi-function have been widely utilized in order that a plurality of functions are selected and a plurality of characters are entered when these electronic appliances are operated. That is, while a plurality of items made of characters such as characters and symbols are displayed on a display unit such as a liquid crystal display device, a desirable item is selected from these displayed items by operating a switch.
In compact electronic appliances, for instance, communication terminal apparatus known as wireless selective calling receivers, very cumbersome operations/manipulations are required so as to select various functions and/or input characters, since sizes of display units thereof are small and a total number of switches is limited.
The Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication No. Hei 8-79361 discloses one typical communication terminal apparatus. That is, this conventional communication terminal apparatus is equipped with the display unit and the operation keys. The display unit displays thereon various sorts of functional information as a plurality of items. The operation keys are employed so as to move the cursor for clearly pointing out which item is being selected from these plural items. When such an operation instruction is issued that the cursor is moved along the upper direction in response to the key operation under such a condition that the cursor is located at the uppermost item position on one page screen under indication, this cursor is caused to jump to the uppermost item of the preceding page screen.
Also, the Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication No. Hei 10-155020 discloses another conventional communication terminal apparatus equipped with the rotary type operator. This rotary type operator can be rotated (pivotably manipulated), and also can be depressed along the direction perpendicular to this rotation axis. In this conventional communication terminal apparatus, while the cursor positioned at any one of the plural items displayed on the display unit is moved in response to the rotation operation of the rotary operator, the information related to such an item corresponding to the present position of this cursor is displayed in response to the depression operation of this rotary operator. Furthermore, while the information related to the item is displayed, if the rotary operator is rotated, then this displayed information is returned to such a condition that a plurality of items are displayed.
Also, the Japanese Patent No. 2693929 discloses the wireless selective calling receiver equipped with the function setting switch. This function setting switch is provided with the menu switch for displaying the plural setting functions on the display unit, the read switch for selecting any one of these setting functions, and the review switch for determining the execution of the selected setting function. The setting functions displayed on the display unit contain such a menu capable of changing the setting function of the function setting switch. While using this menu, the respective setting functions of these function setting switches can be set/changed.
These conventional apparatuses are capable of readily selecting the displayed item from the plural items, and also capable of improving the operabilities thereof.
Very recently, while needs of compactness and low cost are made of electronic appliances, multi-function is required although a total number of actually operable switches cannot be increased but also a dimension of a display unit cannot be increased. Under such a circumstance, when a desirable function is selected and a character is entered by using a small number of switches, a very large number of switching operations are necessarily required. Thus, there is such a problem that very cumbersome operations should be carried out. In such a case that the arrangements of the respective structural elements are restricted since the manufacturing cost and dimensions and also designs of these electronic appliances are limited, so that a large number of switches and of touch panels can be hardly provided, if a large number of functions are available by manipulating a small number of switches, then operabilities of these electronic appliances would be deteriorated. In particular, a great improvement is required in the operabilities of compact electronic appliances.
In the conventional electronic appliance such as the above-explained communication terminal apparatus disclosed in the above-described Japanese Patent Application Publications, in such a case that the cursor is located at a desirable item among the plural items displayed on the display unit so as to select this desirable item, if this cursor is moved by manipulating either one switch or two switches, then the following switch operation is carried out. In response to the operation instruction of either the push-button type operation switch or the rotary type operator, the cursor position is moved in the one dimensional manner along either the upper/lower direction or the right/left direction in such a way that this cursor is sequentially moved over the selected items. More specifically, such an electronic appliance that the dimension of the display unit and a total number of switches are limited and also the arranging positions of these display unit and switches are restricted owns the following problems when the above-explained one-dimensional cursor movement is carried out with respect to these items. That is, a total manipulation number of these switches is considerably increased, and a very cumbersome operation is necessarily required in order to select the items displayed on the different screens.
The present invention has been made to solve the above-explained problems, and therefore, has an object to provide an electronic appliance and an operation control method thereof. That is, in the case that a plurality of items displayed on a display unit is selected so as to select a desirable function and/or input a character, the electronic appliance may have such a superior operability that a subject item can be quickly selected from a large number of items by a small number of switch manipulations even when a total number of switches is small.
To achieve the above-described object, an electronic appliance, as recited in Aspect 1, is featured by comprising: a display unit for displaying a cursor used to clearly point out a plurality of items and also an item selected from the plural items; a cursor switch used to move/instruct the cursor; a determination switch used to determine a selection/instruction of a display item corresponding to a position of the cursor; and control means connected to the display unit, the cursor switch, and the determination switch, for switching a move mode of the cursor on the display unit in response to the operation input of the determination switch when the cursor is located at a specific switching position on the display unit.
Preferably, as recited in Aspect 2, when the cursor is located at the specific switching position on the display unit, the control means alternately switches two move modes of the cursor in response to the operation input of the determination switch.
Also, as recited in Aspect 3, the control means switches, as the move mode of the cursor, a move direction of the cursor with respect to the display item. Preferably, as recited in Aspect 4, the control means switches, as the move mode of the cursor, a move direction of the cursor with respect to the display item to a right/left direction and an upper/lower direction. Alternatively, as recited in Aspect 5, the control means switches, as the move mode of the cursor, a move of the cursor to either a right/left direction or an upper/lower direction, and also a scroll operation of the display item along a direction perpendicular to the cursor move direction.
Also, as recited in Aspect 6, the display unit further displays a direction indication for indicating either the move direction of the cursor or the scroll direction of the display item in correspondence with the move mode of the cursor. Preferably, as recited in Aspect 7, the direction indication is arranged as an item at the specific switching position.
Also, as recited in Aspect 8, the cursor switch is constituted by employing a rotary switch, and the rotary switch issues a move instruction of the cursor corresponding to the move mode of the cursor, or another move instruction used to scroll the display item in accordance with a rotating operation of the rotary switch.
A selective calling reception apparatus, as recited in Aspect 9 of the present invention, is featured by comprising: a display unit for displaying a cursor used to clearly point out a plurality of characters, or numerals, and a selected character or a selected numeral; a cursor switch used to move/instruct the cursor; a determination switch used to determine a selection/instruction of a display item corresponding to a position of the cursor; and control means connected to the display unit, the cursor switch, and the determination switch, for switching a move mode of the cursor on the display unit in response to the operation input of the determination switch when the cursor is located at a specific switching position on the display unit, whereby: a character is entered by the designation of the cursor.
A method for controlling operation of an electronic appliance, as recited in Aspect 10 of the present invention, is featured by comprising: a displaying step for displaying on a display unit, a plurality of items and a cursor used to clearly point out an item selected from the plural items; a cursor moving step for moving the cursor to a display item in response to a move instruction issued by a cursor switch; a selecting/determining step for selecting/determining a display item corresponding to a position of the cursor in response to a selecting/determining instruction of a determination switch; and a move mode switching step for switching a move mode of the cursor on the display unit in response to an operation input of the determining step when the cursor is located at a specific switching position on the display unit.
Preferably, as recited in Aspect 11, in the move mode switching step, when the cursor is located at the specific switching position on the display unit, two move modes of the cursor are alternately switched in response to the operation input of the determination switch.
Also, as recited in Aspect 12, in the move mode switching step, as the move mode of the cursor, a move direction of the cursor with respect to the display item is switched. Preferably, as recited in Aspect 13, in the move switching step, as the move mode of the cursor, a move direction of the cursor with respect to the display item is switched to a right/left direction and an upper/lower direction. Alternatively, as recited in Aspect 14, in the move mode switching step, as the move mode of the cursor, a move of the cursor is switched to either a right/left direction or an upper/lower direction, and also a scroll operation of the display item along a direction perpendicular to the cursor move direction.
Also, as recited in Aspect 15, the control method is further comprised of a direction displaying step for displaying on the display unit, a direction indication for indicating either the move direction of the cursor or the scroll direction of the display item in correspondence with the move mode of the cursor. Preferably, as recited in Aspect 16, the direction indication is arranged as an item at the specific switching position.
A selective calling reception apparatus, as recited in Aspect 17 of the present invention, is featured by comprising:
a displaying step for displaying on a display unit, a cursor used to clearly point out a plurality of characters, or numerals, and a selected character or a selected numeral; a cursor moving step for moving the cursor with respect to a display item in response to a move instruction of a cursor switch; a selecting/determining step for selecting/determining a display item corresponding to a position of the cursor in response to a selecting/determining instruction of a determination switch; and a move mode switching step for switching a move mode of the cursor on the display unit in response to an operation input of the determination switch when the cursor is located at a specific switching position on the display unit; whereby: a character is entered by the designation of the cursor.
In accordance with the electronic appliance, the operation control method of the electronic appliance, or the selective calling reception apparatus of the present invention, in the case that a plurality of items displayed on the display unit are selected so as to select a desirable function and/or input a character, when the cursor is located at a specific switching position on the display unit, the move mode of the cursor on the display unit is switched in response to the operation input of the determination switch. After this mode switching operation, the mode such as the move direction of the cursor is changed in response to the operation input of this cursor switch. Also, when the cursor is located at the specific switching position, the move modes of the cursor are alternately switched in response to the operation input of the determination switch. After this switching operation, when the operation input of the determination switch is again applied at the specific switching position, the move direction of the cursor and the scroll operation of the display item are returned to the original mode.
As a consequence, the cursor can be effectively moved to select a desirable display item from the plural display items. For instance, since the move direction of the cursor is switched to the right/left direction and the upper/lower direction, the move direction of the cursor is changed, and thus the cursor can be reached to a subject display item with a small number of cursor manipulation procedures. Since the operation mode of the cursor is switched between either the cursor movement along the upper/lower direction or the right/left direction, and the scroll operation of the display item along the direction perpendicular to this cursor movement direction, the move mode is changed from the cursor move to the scroll operation, so that the subject display item can be quickly displayed, and the cursor can be moved to this subject display item with a small number of cursor manipulation procedures.
Since such an operation is carried out, even when the cursor is moved by manipulating a small number of switches, a total number of the manipulation procedures related to the cursor movement can be reduced and the operability can be improved, as compared with such a case that, for instance, only the cursor is moved with respect to a plurality of display items, in the one-dimensional manner.
In such a case that the rotary switch is employed as the cursor switch and this rotary switch outputs the move instruction related to the cursor movement by way of the rotation operation thereof, since this rotary switch can produce the move instructions along dual directions by reversing the rotation direction of this rotary switch, the electronic appliance with the superior operability can be constituted by employing a small number of switches.
Also, in the display unit, such a direction indication is displayed. This direction indication indicates either the move direction of the cursor corresponding to the move mode of the cursor or the scroll direction of the display item. Then, this direction indication is switched in correspondence with the change in the cursor move modes. With employment of this direction indication, the user can readily grasp the present move direction of the cursor when the user manipulates the switch of this cursor. Thus, since the cursor can be quickly moved along a desirable direction, the erroneous operation can be avoided and also the operability can be improved. Also, while the direction indication is employed as the item located at a specific switching position and furthermore may have both functions, namely the item indicative of the switching position and the direction indication, it is possible to arrange the display items on the display screen of the display unit in a higher efficiency. Also, the operability of the electronic appliance can be improved and the electronic appliance can be made compact.